UAE Takes 5 Yemeni Prisoners Freed by US from Guantanamo

In this May 13, 2009 file photo, reviewed by the U.S. military, the sun rises over the Guantanamo detention facility on the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)
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Associated Press

MIAMI — Five men held by the U.S. at its base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been released and sent to the United Arab Emirates.

The Pentagon says the five Yemeni men were accepted for resettlement in the Persian Gulf nation after U.S. authorities determined they no longer posed a threat. The Defense Department said in a statement Sunday that their release brings the Guantanamo prisoner population to 107.

Each of the five released over the weekend had been held for more than 13 years. They were not charged but were detained as enemy combatants. Their release was delayed because the U.S. won't send Guantanamo prisoners to Yemen because of instability there and must find other countries to accept them. These are the first prisoners accepted by the UAE for resettlement.